The Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on “Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Planning; Metropolitan Transportation Planning”, was published in today’s Federal Register.
The NPRM proposes the following changes to statewide and nonmetropolitan and metropolitan transportation planning:
• Performance-Based Planning and Programming - The MAP-21 transforms the Federal-aid highway program and the Federal transit program by requiring a transition to a performance-driven, outcome-based program that provides for a greater level of transparency and accountability, improved project decision making, and more efficient investment of Federal transportation funds.
- New Emphasis on Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning - MAP-21 places a new emphasis on the importance of nonmetropolitan transportation planning. The MAP-21 requires the States to work more closely with nonmetropolitan areas. It also gives States the opportunity to designate RTPOs to help address the planning needs of the nonmetropolitan area of the State. Fosters further collaboration between individual State DOTs and MPOs by requiring them to coordinate with each other when establishing performance targets.
- Additions to the Metropolitan Planning Process - The MAP-21 made two changes specific to the metropolitan planning process—one change affects the policy board structure of large MPOs, and the second establishes a process for scenario planning. Both of these changes would support the effective implementation of a performance-based planning process.
- Revisions to the integration of the planning and environmental review process and a process for programmatic mitigation plans.
FTA and FHWA will hold a webinar on Friday, June 13th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET to review the content of the NPRM. A registration link to the webinar is provided here.